A new defender arrived in N17 on Wednesday as Tōko Koga became our first summer signing.
The 19-year-old joins us from Feyenoord, where she spent 18 months in the Netherlands, and she will wear the number 32 shirt for the 2025/26 campaign.
Here’s all you need to know about our new arrival and her journey so far…
From Osaka, Japan, Tōko began her footballing career with JFA Academy Fukushima, where she spent three seasons competing in the Nadeshiko League 2 – Japan Women’s Football League – making 38 appearances in total, scoring three goals.
Then, at just 18-years-old, the talented centre-back took on a completely new adventure, making the move to Europe to join Dutch side Feyenoord in the Women's Eredivisie in January, 2024.
She made her debut for the Rotterdam outfit later that month against Fortuna Sittard, before going on to make a further 13 appearances during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, helping them to an eighth-place finish in the league.
Having made her senior international debut in July, 2023, in a 5-0 win over Panama, Tōko was named in Japan’s national team squad for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and started all four games for her nation in the tournament, reaching the quarter-finals before losing to eventual winners United States.
With a full pre-season under her belt, where she actually featured against us in a pre-season friendly at Hotspur Way in September, 2024, Tōko cemented her spot at the back for Feyenoord in 2024/25.
She netted her first goal for the club in a 3-0 win over SC Heerenveen in November, 2024, and went on to score a total of three goals for the season, including a brace in a 5-3 victory over SBV Excelsior.
Featuring in 21 of the 22 matches last term, starting all 21 of those, she completed 90 minutes in all but one game as she helped Feyenoord to a fifth-place finish. On a personal note, her impressive performances throughout the campaign saw her named in the league’s Team of the Season.
The defender continued to shine on the international stage, playing a big part in the 2025 edition of the SheBelieves Cup. Featuring in all three games in the competition, she scored the winner against the USWNT to help Japan claim the trophy for the first time.
She has earned 19 caps to for her country to date, scoring three goals.